Impression of Photos vs. Live and In Person

[TaterDog]

So,

First off, don't ask for photos or complain that I'm not posting them, because I did not have my phone or camera with me today when I spotted my first live Camaro. And the main thrust of my post here is to discuss how and in what ways the photos don't match the real thing, anyway. But, despite this disappointment of not being able to take any photos, I thought I'd share some impressions. Take them for what they are worth.

Here's what happened.

I ordered my Camaro last week, a 2SS, in Middleton, WI, which is basically Madison. They had a yellow show car on the floor, covered up, and would not reveal it before the May 9th event, which I missed because I live far away and figured why torture myself? I live 50 miles south of Madison, in a tiny town (pop. 3000), called Mineral Point. Was at brunch today with friends who live in the next town over, Dodgeville (pop. 10,000 or less). Dodgeville has a Chevy dealership. Well, our friends' son, who is 16, suddenly pipes up at breakfast, "I want a Camaro!" I've been trying not to brag, so I just get this grin...

Anyway, after spilling the beans about my order, the boy's father says, "Oh, we saw the new one over in Dodgeville, looks really good..." I'm like, WHAT? "Yeah, it's sitting right in front of the dealership. Nice red one."

So after brunch, my wife and I drive over to Dodgeville, and sure enough, there is a brand new Camaro just sitting outside with all the other cars on the lot. Dealership is closed (silly Wisconsin state law) and the Camaro is just parked in front--OUTSIDE. People are driving by very slowly ever five minutes, parking, gawking.

So I got out and had a walk around, peering in the windows. I could have walked around this car and peered in the windows for hours with no one bothering me, and I might have if my wife wasn't with me, waiting to go home. Like all of you, I have been salivating over photos for weeks, months. And I had seen the one undercover in Middleton. But this was different, and I wanted to share how I felt it was different.

It was a 2LT/RS in Vic Red BTW. Auto, gray cloth interior. The Vic Red is not my favorite color but it was nice, bright, pretty damn red.

I'm going to run with my impressions here, so pardon me if I exaggerate...

The big thing is, no matter how many photos you have seen, or I had seen, you just can't imagine the reality of it when confronted by it. For whatever reason, almost every photo of the Camaro makes it look LONGER than it really is. I have the brochure right here, and it looks longer on paper. In person, she looked shorter, squatter, thicker, beefier, tougher, meaner. I think this is all good. I mean, the car looks like a very fast tank, if you know what I mean. The top of the roof is shorter than you expect but the hood and trunk lines are taller. The impression one takes away is: there is a big badass engine with two seats behind it. It looms... but it seems smaller in all the right ways.

From twenty feet away, you feel like you could pick her up and play with it like a toy, as weird as that sounds. It looks more like a sports car and less like a long coupe that could (at least the way the photos make it appear) almost be long enough for a 4-door sedan. It's a car that looks like it could fit into a relatively small slot on the street, if its driver had the stones to parallel park it close to other people's cars.

But it is very, very, very COUPE-ISH. It's stout, solid-looking. The 20" wheels looked effin' large but appropriate. Taller and wider than I expected. The midnight silver wheels are just a little dark, tinted, smoky, but still shiny. The sky was somewhat overcast, but everything popped.

Don't get me wrong, it's not boxish. All the angles you've come to know are there, all the lines and details. It's a stunning car that looks like it means business. It's no-excuses gorgeous. My wife is happy for me, and admits it's a cool car, but she's not IN LOVE with it, you know? So when I said, "What do you think?" my wife's comment was, "Well, it's cool. It looks fast. It looks like every guy's wet dream of a car."

Exactly.

I think I also got more of the retro impression from the real thing. It has some shades of the old Vettes, the 60s Camaros. The haunches/rear shoulders stand UP, not too far out. In my brochure it looks very modern, and it is, but in person you FEEL the heritage more.

Maybe a lot of you have already gone through this, but I thought I'd share it anyway. I am definitely more excited to own the car now, having seen it. I guess I just wanted to mention how much shorter and thicker it looked, how it looks so much more solid and, yes, heavier than I imagined. But I mean heavy in a good way, like it's got serious hardware underneath its skin.

Brawny. Yep, that's the one word I've been looking for. It's not a whip, it's a muscle car...

...but a sporty one.

Well, next time I drive by it, if it's still there, I'll take some photos. But I suspect they would be redundant. We have lots of photos here, and they aren't the same. And for that I'm glad.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, no, it did not have a SOLD sticker on it.

Dodgeville. Dodgeville, Wisconsin. 40 miles north of Dubuque, Iowa.

Chris

[Lectra]

As first impressions go, you are probably on par with lots of the people here! I know for me, I have been talking about this car for about a year but wasn't sure when I would be able to buy a new car. A few weeks ago I decided it was time!
So last weekend, I got my dad to stop into the dealer to check things out. As we were getting ready to leave the showroom after looking at all the brochures (no sales people to be found, turned out they were all drooling on their new car), they throw open the showroom doors to back a car in. My jaw dropped to the floor as they backed in their very first Camaro! Needless to say it sounded amazing, looked great, and even brought my mom inside from the car so she could check it out. My little information expedition turned into me ordering a 2LT manual car that day. The car has such a presence it's impossible to resist it. It draws you in with a sense of power that you just quite can't get from a photo. I can't wait to get my hands on one, I'm hoping it will be here by August when my friends visit so I can drive them around in style since they don't quite see what the hype is yet. I keep telling them that once they see one up close, they will know exactly what I'm talking about! (Till then they just think I'm crazy, lol)

[2010SLVRBULIT]

Nice reads...pics just do justice than in person..but it makes the reading that much more enjoyable..hint..hint

[Lectra]

yeah I had no idea that I would be buying a car that day, when I go in the next time I'll definitely have a camera! Though maybe they CAN find someone to buy the 1LT for 10k over MSRP and it won't be there, I highly doubt it